Dragonlands(236)

Tressa looked back at Jarrett. She lifted his head and rested it on her lap. "We'll fix you, I promise."

She ran her fingers through his hair, just above where his ears had been cut off. "What happened to you?" Leaning over, she kissed his forehead.

His eyes snapped open. "Tressa?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Tressa? I can't hear you." Jarrett's hands flew to his head, his fingers searching, but not finding what they were looking for.

Tressa grabbed his hands, holding them in hers. "Jarrett, you've been injured."

His brows furrowed. She wanted to kick herself. Of course he couldn't hear her. They'd gone far enough away to break the spell that was over him and now he had lost whatever magic had allowed him to hear without his ears. She leaned over, her lips settling on his. Jarrett responded softly, at first, then he pushed her away.

"I remember traveling to the Isle of Repose with Bastian, Connor, and Elinor. I don't remember anything after that. What happened? Did you rescue me? Why can’t I hear?" His questions continued, the rambling filling the quiet in the room.

Tressa bit her lip, knowing if she spoke it would only frustrate him more. She laid a finger on his lips, quieting him. Jarrett calmed down. He lifted his head from her lap and sat up.

Tressa rested her hand over his heart, then took his hand and laid it over hers. They sat that way, quiet, alone, feeling the life pumping within each other until Fi burst into the room with an army of healers, their black cloaks flapping behind them.

The healers sank to the floor, forming a circle around Jarrett and Tressa. Linking hands, they murmured the same three words over and over again. “Ommadon, ommadon, ommadon.” Tressa didn't know them, but they were soothing. Healing. Tears spilled from Jarrett's eyes. A yellow glow pulsated around his head. Still, Tressa held her hand over his heart, assuring him that he was hers and she was his, no matter the outcome of the healers' magic.

Finally, the man to her right said, "It is beyond us. We cannot help him, mainly because he does not require healing. Whatever happened to him is over. We cannot force body parts to regrow. He will remain deaf for the remainder of his life. Be grateful he is alive."

Tressa's heart fell into her stomach. She looked up at Jarrett, fearing for his reaction. He looked at her expectantly. Shaking her head no, Tressa let her arm drop.

"No?" Jarrett asked. "They can't heal me?"

Tressa stared at him, her mouth turned down. She grabbed both of his hands, squeezing them tightly in hers, willing him to understand that it didn't matter. That she loved him despite his injury. She only regretted never having told him she loved him.

After Bastian, she'd sworn she wouldn't utter those words again unless she knew it was forever. Though she'd felt love for Jarrett, she hadn't let herself admit it. Now her biggest regret was withholding it from him when he'd been so willing to express his feelings to her.

"But there is a magic surrounding him too," another healer said. She pushed back her hood, revealing a long shock of red hair, the sides of her head shaved. "We cannot break it. We do not have any mages powerful enough."

"Then I know where we must go," Tressa said. She looked to Fi, who stood outside the circle of healers. "When can we leave?"

"Give me some time to rest," Fi said. "I cannot make the rest of the journey without sleep and food."

"You will have it," Tressa said. She looked to the guard, Barden, who had followed Fi back into the throne room. "Where are my friends? We must let them know."

Barden looked around the room, whistling.

"Barden," Fi said, the dagger suddenly back in her hand.

"They're gone," Barden said, "but I ain't supposed to tell."

Tressa wanted to punch him herself. "Tell me, now. Jarrett and I are still technically members of the Black Guard, are we not? You can share the information with us."

"Oh," he said, his eyes locking on hers, "I suppose you are. They've left for Hutton's Bridge. They're gonna seal it back up in the fog again."





Chapter Twenty-Nine


Bastian slid off Connor's back and held out a hand for Elinor. She jumped off into his arms. He squeezed her before letting her boots touch the ground. Elinor smiled and looked up at the trees marking the entrance to the forest surrounding Hutton's Bridge. Connor quickly changed back into human form, fully clothed.

"Do you know where to find the woman in the tree?" Elinor asked. She'd questioned him extensively about the woman, admitting she was fascinated not just from curiosity, but also from a healer's perspective. Bastian feared the woman would die if she was removed from her arboreal prison. Perhaps Elinor could find a way to help her.